Device for installing and removing fluorescent lighting tubes



S. L. COHEN ET AL DEVICE FOR INSTALLING AND REMOVING .r lflllfd FiledOct. 19, 1955 FLUORESCENT LIGHTING TUBES Oct. 30, 1956 INVENTORS A.UOHEN SAMUEL MURRV L HURW/Tz ATTORNEY United States Patent DEVICE FORINSTALLING AND REMOVING FLUORESCENT LIGHTING TUBES Samuel L. Cohen,Palisade, and Murry L. Hurwitz,

Newark, N. J.

Application October 19, 1955, Serial No. 541,375 6 Claims. (Cl. 294-21)This invention relates to a device by means of which one, without usinga ladder, may readily install or remove a fluorescent lighting tube froman overhead fixture which is beyond normal reach.

Devices previously developed for the stated purpose have sufferedserious drawbacks as, for example, complexity of structure, awkwardoperation, and non-utility with respect to a tube located closelyadjacent to other tubes or to other structures. The objects of thepresent invention, therefore, are to provide such a device which,however, does not suffer the mentioned drawbacks.

A single embodiment of the present invention is shown, for illustrativepurposes, in the accompanying drawing without, however, limiting theinvention to that particular embodiment.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in elevation and partly in verticalsection of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, vertical, cross-sectional view substantially onthe irregular line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a further enlarged, vertical, central, sectional viewsubstantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The device, best generally understood from Fig. 1,

comprises a T-shaped assemblage of a tubular, horizontal member havingan opening 12 formed in its wall, midway between its ends, and a tubularupright handle 14, the upper end of which is welded at 16 into theopening 12.

Opposite end plates 18, fixed into or upon the ends of member 10, toclose the latter, serve as bearings supporting the opposite ends of arotatable, horizontal shaft 20, located within horizontal member 10, andhaving nonrotatively fixed thereto, near the center thereof, a bevelgear 22, meshing with and driven by a bevel driving gear 24 which isnon-rotatively fixed upon the upper end of a vertical shaft 26 supportedwithin the upright handle 14 by bearing plates 28 and 30 which aretightly fixed into the upper and lower ends of said handle. A knob 32 isfixed by pin 34 to the lower end of shaft 26 so that one, holding thedevice in an upright position with one hand by handle 14, may turn theknob 32 with the other hand, thereby turning shafts 26 and in eitherdirection.

Similar assemblies are provided toward opposite ends of tubular,horizontal member 10 for gripping a fluorescent tube in horizontalposition and for turning the thusheld fluorescent tube about its ownlongitudinal axis. Each such assembly comprises a segmental gear 36having a partially circular flat-metal spring 38 fixed to an innerportion of gear 36 approximately concentric relatively to the lattersaxis of rotation; and end portions 40, 42 of the spring are yieldableand have outwardly flared ends enabling a fluorescent tube to be forcedinto and to be held releasably Within said spring.

The segmental gear 36 has similar arcuate grooves 44 formed in oppositeside faces thereof, these grooves being open at corresponding ends 46 topermit said gear, during manufacture of the device. to be slid intoassociation with similar opposed guide brackets 48 which are heldrigidly by screws 49, or other suitable means, upon the top ofhorizontal member 10.

Integral with or fixed to the brackets 48 are inwardly extending guides50 which, as viewed in elevation,are preferably in the shape ofelongate, arcuate ovals of such size as to fit with an accurate, slidingfit within the grooves 44 andconstrain the gear 36 to move onlyarcuately to any material extent.

At a point between the brackets 48, the tubular member 10 is slotted asat 52 and toothed portion 54 of the gear 36 extends through said slotand meshes with a gear wheel 56 fixed non-rotatively to shaft .20. Thegear 36 has an integral finger 58 on one end and a separable finger 60screwed thereto at its opposite end to positively limit the operationalmovement of said gear in either direction. Alternatively, pins or othersuitable means may be employed for limiting such operational movement.

One wishing to use the device to install a fluorescent tube A in anoverhead fixture, places the tube in its position, shown in Figs. 1 and2, within the two springs 38, the spring fingers 4t), 42 yielding topermit such insertion. Then, being certain that said spring fingers arein their positions shown in Fig. 2, turning knob 32, if necessary, toachieve such positioning, the user pushes the tube A vertically upwardlyinto its receptacles in a ceiling or overhead fixture. After thusgetting the tube A into its receptacles, the user, while still using thedevice to hold said tube in its receptacles, turns the knob 32 to rotatesaid tube about its longitudinal axis sufficiently to lock the tubeproperly into its receptacles with its contacts properly engagingelectric circuit contacts in the fixture, whereafter the user maywithdraw the device free of the tube A, applying a somewhat sidewiselydirected manual force, if necessary, as well as a downwardly directedmanual force for the latter purpose. The spring fingers 40, 42, ofcourse, yield to permit such withdrawal.

To remove such a fluorescent tube A from a fixture, the user merelypushes the device vertically upwardly to cause the springs 38,positioned as shown in Fig. 2, to grasp the tube, whereafter the knob isturned to unlock the tube from its receptacles; then, the device withthe tube is lowered to separate the tube from the fixture.

It should be apparent that, in the described usage of the device, thehandle 14 may be held with one hand and the knob 32 manipulated with theother hand. Obviously, also, the device here disclosed substantiallyavoids the shortcomings of devices previously employed for a similarpurpose.

It will be understood that the concepts utilized in the disclosedembodiment may be employed with some variations without, however,departing from the invention as set forth in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A device for installing and removing fluorescent lighting tubes,comprising a T-shaped support having a horizontal top member and anupright handle member, segmental gear means mounted on said top memberfor back and forth rotation about an axis parallel to said top member,tube-holding means associated with said gear means for releasablyholding a fluorescent tube in horizontal position for rotation of saidtube relatively to said top member about an axis substantiallycoincident with the axis of rotation of said gear means, an operatingknob inseparably associated with said handle member and movablerelatively thereto, and driving gear means, carried by said support indriving relation to said segmental gear means and coacting with saidknob to cause such rotation of a thus-held tube by manipulation of saidknob; said segmental gear means comprising a segmental gear having anarcuate groove concentric relatively to a fluorescent tube thus held bysaid tube-holding means, and said device, further, including a guide,rigidly associated With said top rnember, extending with an accuratesliding fit Within said groove to restrain said segmental gear againstmaterial movement except about its own center of rotation.

2. A device according to claim 1, said top member and handle memberbeing tubular and said driving gear means being Within said members.

3. A device according to claim 1, said segmental gear having a pair ofsuch .arcuate grooves on opposite sides of the gear, and the deviceincluding a pair of such arcuate guides extending into said pair ofgrooves.

4. Adevice according to claim 1, said segmental gear having an arcuate,peripheral, toothed portion, and abutment fingers at opposite ends ofsaid toothed portion and protrudingradially outwardly therefrom forlimiting rotation of the segmental gear in opposite directions.

4 5. A device according to claim 1, said groove having an open end,facilitating insertion of said guide endwisely I into said groove.

6. A device according to clairn 3, said grooves having correspondingopen ends, said segmental gear having an arcuate, peripheral, toothedportion, and abutment fingers at opposite ends of said toothed portionand protruding radially outwardly therefrom for limiting rotation of thesegmental gear in opposite directions; the abutment finger at the end ofthe toothed portion which corresponds to the open ends of said groovesbeing separably associated With the segmental gear to facilitateassembly of the latter With such guides and with said driving gearmeans.

No references cited.

